AN application for a licence to sell alcohol at premises close to a primary school has been met with objection.

The application relating to The Club Room on Church End Lane in Barley is due to be discussed by North Herts District Council’s licensing and appeals committee on Tuesday.

Applicant Sharron Fletcher explained: “I am proposing to open a small wine and cheese deli.

“Customers will be able to try and taste cheeses and wines for sale. Wine will be sold by the glass.”

Ms Fletcher, who explained that the building is a former school hall which has been unused for four years, also plans to hold evening wine tasting events.

A number of people have lodged formal objections to the application with the council.

Grounds for objection include issues with traffic, parking and noise. The site is close to Barley VC Church of England First School.

Church End resident Judith Nicholson said: “Any increase in the level of traffic and parking would increase the risk of road accidents, impede access for emergency vehicles and threaten pedestrian safety.”

Geoff Kavanagh, of The Chequers in Barley, said: “This building has no private parking and is situated on the narrowest part of Church End, where there is constantly an issue with buses being able to pass the parked cars.”

Tony Carder, a Church End resident, has lodged concerns about the premises being “almost in the grounds of a primary school”, citing drunkenness, traffic and noise as potential problems.

Adrian Parkes, of The Fox and Hounds in Barley, says he is concerned about public safety. “The premises are situated on a very narrow road, directly adjacent to a primary school, and there is a risk of a road traffic accident.”

He added: “A licensed premises in a densely populated area with no parking is liable to be a nuisance to neighbours.”